The Shark Blog

The season is half
way complete, but with the trade deadline a couple weeks away and fantasy
playoffs quickly approaching, you are running out of time to fix your lineup in
time for it to matter.

WHO'S HOT

The obvious entry in
this slot in Crosby's line.Kunitz and
Dupuis are working magic with the best player in the world.Let's move on to the less obvious…

Chris Stewart (STL)

After a slow start
(ok, a slow couple of years), Stewart is showing flashes of the brilliance that
had his name in the conversation for "top power forward".Since the calendar flipped to March, he can
certainly make a case for that title.Stewart has piled up 6 goals and 7 assists through 8 games this
month.The PIMs and +/- are coming along
as well, making him once again an all-around good guy for your fantasy lineup.

Michael Ryder (MON)

Ryder has been one
of the most under-rated fantasy forwards over the past decade.He continues to quietly put up goals year
after year without fanfare as he moves from town to town.Since arriving in Montreal, he has picked up
his assist totals, amassing 9 points in 8 games.He has 3 multi-point contests in the past 5
outings.

Sergei Bobrovsky (G-COB)

No goaltender is as
hot as the man in Columbus.He hasn't
lost a game in regulation since February, going 5-0-2 in the process, while
averaging less than 1 GAA.It's probably
too late for you to cash in on this mad streak, but he deserves a nod in this
space.

Jonas Hiller (G-ANA)

Apparently, Hiller
wasn't willing to just step aside and allow Fasth to claim his job after
all.He has reclaimed the crease with an
amazing run, going 7-0-1 over this last 8 starts.

Shea Weber (D-NAS)

Weber got off to a
tragic start, waiting until Valentine's Day to wake up and contribute.Since then, he's back to being an offensive
beast for Nashville.His last couple of
weeks have been particularly productive, with 6 points in his last 5
games.He's back.

Ryan Suter (D-MIN)

Speaking of Weber
and defensive beasts, his former partner has been exploding on offensive over
the same timeframe.In his last 16
games, he has piled up 17 points.Doesn't get much better than that.

WHO'S COLD / TIME TO DROP?

If you're going to
make room for a new edition, you obviously need to let someone go.Though it's tough to part company, here are
some guys that it may be time to cut ties with...

Joe Pavelski (F-SJ)

Just 1 goal and 1
assist over the past 10 games.He's even
seen his ice time dive down to the 16 minute range as of late.I'm a big believer in Pavelski and expect him
to wake up at some point, but it's hard to keep the faith with these numbers in
a short season.

David Clarkson (F-NJ)

Clarkson was a
monster at the start of the season, even leading the league in goal scoring
through the first month.Since then, he
has disappeared completely.He has zero
goals and just 2 assists through his last 13 games.

Dany Briere (F-PHI)

After a hot streak
through February, Briere has disappeared offensively.He hasn't put up a point in 5 games, with a
-8 rating during that stretch.His ice
time is in the 4th liner territory.Drop
him and don't look back.

WHO'S HURT

Viktor Fasth (G-ANA) - upper
body, day-to-day

Patrick Sharp (F-CHI) - upper
body, IR

Jamie Benn (F-DAL) - wrist,
day-to-day

Entire Florida Panthers
lineup

Raphael Diaz (D-MON) -
concussion, IR

Evgeni Malkin (F-PIT) -upper
body, day-to-day

WAIVER WATCH

Brent Burns (D-SJ)

Burns just returned
from a series of injuries.Before this
week, he had no points and sat at a -5 on the year.In his two games since returning, he has been
utilized as a forward, which has resulted in 2 goals and 1 assist, while
maintaining the valuable "D" designation on the roster.Take advantage now!

Ryan Whitney (D-EDM)

After a dark period
of healthy scratches, Whitney apparently got the message.In his last 8 games, he's put up 3 goals and
2 assists.

Slava Voynov (D-LA)

Last year, Voynov
hit a stretch where he took off as a top fantasy option.He seems to be back there again as of
late.9 points in his last 8 games for
the Kings.

Jake Allen (G-STL)

It may be a
short-term situation, but Jake Allen has kicked Halak and Elliot to the curb,
as he's gotten the Blues back to winning.He has gone 7-1 on the season and has gotten the nod in 4 of the last 5
starts for the Blues (all wins), including a shutout last night.

Derek Stepan (F-NYR)

Stepan has been
developing into a feature role with the Rangers for a couple of years now.It seems from a fantasy perspective he has
arrived.He has totaled up 9 points in
his last 8 games.